CNLM’s Chairman of the Board, Ken Sanchez, retires with a magnificent legacy.

Ken Sanchez’s conservation service and accomplishment spans decades, including over 10 years of direct support to the Center for Natural Lands Management. Ken’s prior informal support for CNLM was formalized in 2016 when he was elected to serve on its Board of Directors. Shortly thereafter, Ken was elected to the leadership position on the Board and served as its Chair until retiring from this office and the Board in June 2026. Prior to joining CNLM, Ken spent 10 years working for the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service in California, Oregon, and Alaska. He retired from agency service after 25 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North Dakota and California working primarily on endangered species conservation and ecosystem markets.

While Ken would sometimes joke that he wanted to “cut some yellow ribbons” as CNLM’s Chair of the Board, his term was marked by serious decisions, significant organizational transformations, and hallmark achievements. While changes in CNLM staff leadership are rare, Ken presided over two of the three in CNLM’s 36-year history—including a novel transition in 2020 to a Co-Executive Director structure and the recent executive search and hiring of CNLM’s current Executive Director.

Ken navigated CNLM through some opportunities that resulted not only in significant growth but in some of our highest achievements. During the COVID pandemic, he maintained a calm and focused Board that ensured staff that they were well supported, highly valued, and their health and well-being was the highest priority. During his service on our Board, CNLM’s portfolio of preserves more than doubled in area protected and we acquired our first preserves in Oregon—resulting in conservation service area that currently includes California, Washington, and Oregon. Ken presided over CNLM’s largest preserve acquisition to date—the Panoche Valley Preserve that protects over 26,000 acres. An equally important addition to our portfolio of preserves was the 14,000-acre Cholame Ranch Preserve—an acquisition made possible through the generous resources and collaboration provided by the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, California Native Plant Society, National Audubon, and Monterey Audubon.

Although Ken retired from CNLM’s Board of Directors in June 2026, his work in conservation continues as the Western Region Regulatory Manager for Resource Environmental Solutions, a national habitat and species restoration and mitigation development company.

The staff and Board of CNLM are grateful for Ken’s dedication and leadership—measured not only by years but by significant conservation impact.